The Lives of the Painters, Sculptors Architects, Volume 1 | Page 5

Christian priests. In like
manner the magnificent church of S. John Lateran, built by the same
emperor, may serve as evidence of the same fact, namely, that sculpture
had already greatly declined in his time, because the figures of the
Saviour and of the twelve apostles in silver, which he caused to be
made, were very base works, executed without art and with very little
design. In addition to this, it is only necessary to examine the medals of
this emperor, and other statues made by the sculptors of his day, which
are now at the Capitol, to clearly perceive how far removed they are
from the perfection of the medals and statues of the other emperors, all
of which things prove that sculpture had greatly declined long before
the coming of the Goths to Italy. Architecture, as I have said,
maintained its excellence at a higher though not at the highest level.
Nor is this a matter for surprise, since large buildings were almost
entirely constructed of spoils, so that it was easy for the architects to
imitate the old in making the new, since they had the former
continually before their eyes. This was an easier task for them than far
the sculptors, as the art of imitating the good figures of the ancients had
declined. A good illustration of the truth of this statement is afforded
by the church of the chief of the apostles in the Vatican, which is rich
in columns, bases, capitals, architraves, cornices, doors and other
incrustations and ornaments which were all taken from various places
and buildings, erected before that time in very magnificent style. The
same remarks apply to S. Croce at Jerusalem, which Constantine
erected at the entreaty of his mother, Helena; of S. Lorenzo outside the

wall, and of S. Agnesa, built by the same emperor at the request of his
daughter Constance. Who also is not aware that the font which served
for the baptism of the latter and of one of her sisters, was ornamented
with fragments of great antiquity? as were the porphyry pillar carved
with beautiful figures and some marble candelabra exquisitely carved
with leaves, and some children in bas-relief of extraordinary beauty? In
short, by these and many other signs, it is clear that sculpture was in
decadence in the time of Constantine, and with it the other superior arts.
If anything was required to complete their ruin it was supplied by the
departure of Constantine from Rome when he transferred the seat of
government to Byzantium, as he took with him to Greece not only all
the best sculptors and other artists of the age, such as they were, but
also a quantity of statues and other beautiful works of sculpture.
After the departure of Constantine, the Caesars whom he left in Italy,
were continually building in Rome and elsewhere, endeavouring to
make these works as good as possible, but as we see, sculpture,
painting and architecture were steadily going from bad to worse. This
arose perhaps from the fact that when human affairs begin to decline,
they grow steadily worse until the time comes when they can no longer
deteriorate any further. In the time of Pope Liberius the architects of the
day took considerable pains to produce a masterpiece when they built S.
Maria Maggiore, but they were not very happy in the result, because
although the building, which is also mostly constructed of spoils, is of
very fair proportions, it cannot be denied that, not to speak of other
defects, the decoration of the church with stucco and painting above the
columns is of very poor design, and that many other things to be seen
there leave no doubt as to the degradation of the arts. Many years later,
when the Christians were suffering persecution under Julian the
Apostate, a church was erected on the Celian Hill to SS. John and Paul,
the martyrs, in so inferior a style to the others mentioned above that it
is quite clear that at that time, art had all but entirely disappeared. The
edifices erected in Tuscany at the same time bear out this view to the
fullest extent. The church outside the walls of Arezzo, built to St
Donato, bishop of that city, who suffered martyrdom with Hilarion the
monk, under the same Julian the Apostate, is in no way superior to the
others, and this is only one of many. It cannot be contended that such a

state of affairs was due to anything but the lack of good architects,
since the church in question, which is still standing, has eight sides, and
was built of the spoils of the theatre, colosseum and other buildings
erected in Arezzo before it was converted to the Christian faith. No
expense has been spared, its columns